An Interesting (Magical)Turn of Events
by Nymariaa
Summary: It's time for another Triwizard Tournament and the students of Hogwarts are in for an interesting year, especially one Danny Williams. (Fusion)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:First Meetings

Excited chatter and barely restrained anticipation fill the air, as most, if not all, students currently attending Hogwarts stand assembled on the great stairs leading up to the castle, dividing their rapt attention between the ominous depths of the lake and the vast, clear sky.

A cry of surprised delight comes from the front and a small Hufflepuff girl, no more than a second-year, gestures to a little dark dot forming in the sky above the forbidden forest.

Kono nudges Danny, an infectious grin on her face and yes, this is really happening.

Danny holds his breath with the rest of the student body, as the first winged horses come into sight, all eyes fixed on the majestic carriage emerging behind the clouds.

Then all hell breaks loose and they're abruptly smothered by boisterous exclamations and wildly waving students, shouting their welcome to the in flying representatives of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.

Loud laughter mixed with fragments of various conversations buzz around them, as the carriage draws nearer, until the horses smoothly touch down upon the ground and they get their first glimpse of the other students.

"Oh, the girls are so pretty!" exclaims a boy Danny vaguely recognises as the Hufflepuff seeker and watches his friend lean forward, hissing, "Shhh, Morgan! You know how Cindy can get!"

With a faint flush Danny notes that they do look very attractive, especially the blond girl that just appeared from inside the carriage.

The rather tall girl to his right seems to be more fascinated by Madame Maxime's stature, when she descends last from the carriage, while her friend, Max Bergman, a Ravenclaw prefect, openly admires the Abraxan horses.

Kono pinches him in the side and points excitedly towards the lake. "Oh Merlin, do you see it? Do you see it, Danny?"

He has to go to his tiptoes to peek over the crowd and even so, he's only able to snatch glances.

But a further look confirms that there's definitely something rising from the lake and then the mast breaks through the surface and pure chaos unfolds around them.

Kono is vibrating with excess energy and Danny has never seen her look so radiant. "They're here!" she exclaims joyfully, throwing her arms into the air with reckless abandon and promptly catching a boy right in the jaw.

As it happens, a moment later a giant ship arises in a spray of water, being expertly manoeuvred to the shore. Shortly after, the representatives of the Durmstrang Institute appear on deck, looking somber and quiet in comparison to the noisy Hogwarts crowd and the elegant, colourful robes of the Beauxbaton students.

The contrast is striking and Danny notices how people around them settle down, glancing nervously around, until Kono is the only one frantically waving in the direction of the ship.

Professor Grover sends them an icy glare, making his displeasure clear and Kono finally stops after Danny's pointed whisper of, "Kono, you'll see him in a minute! Do you really want to get detention?"

With a flurry of robes Headmistress Jameson arrives at the steps, hurrying down and Danny barely catches her murmured "Damn the Minister", before she is at the carriage and exchanges polite greetings with Madame Maxime, until both women are joined by Headmaster White and the process is repeated.

"Do you think it's true what they say?", Vince, a fellow Gryffindor, asks loudly, "That Durmstrang only trains dark wizards?"

Danny sighs, that comment is so typical for that loudmouth. One glance at Kono reveals her balling her fists, and since when is he supposed to be the rational one?

"Yeah, well, you know what they say about rumours", Danny says aggressively throwing him a sharp smile.

"But Grindelwald went there!" a chubby first-year pipes up. "And dad says they still only allow purebloods."

"Well, You-know-who attended Hogwarts", Kono snaps, crossing her arms defensively.

"And he wasn't a pureblood either", Danny comments, backing her up. What a surprise that little revelation had been to all wizardkind.

"That's right!" agrees Kono, glowering, daring anyone to deny that.

"What's got her wand in a knot?" Vince mumbles. "Got your period, Kalakaua?"

"Shut your face Fryer, or maybe I'll give you a period!" Danny shouts.

"Oh yeah?" challenges the other boy. And they're about to come to blows when-

"Detention!" Calls out a deep voice right behind them, cutting through the noise. Danny turns only to see Grover striding towards them, pinning them with his dark, disapproving glare. "Williams! Fryer! To me!"

"But Professor-!" protests Kono, and Danny gives her a quick shake of head. No need for them both to be caught up in detention, especially when she finally gets to see that elusive cousin of her.

Grover leads them forcefully back to school under mutters of "such an unworthy display", "behaving like children, in your seventh year!" and "a disgrace for Hogwarts!". They are given a whole speech on the matter, as well as the scheduled detention hours, before the professor releases them with a disdainful sniff.

###

It's quiet when they head back, all the students and their respective headmasters must have headed inside to enjoy the feast in the Great Hall.

In front of the door, Danny and Vince exchange a terse nod in the unspoken understanding to let it go, before quietly sneaking inside to the Gryffindor table.

He plops down next to Kono and gives her a smile, immediately starting to fill his plate, before all dishes are replaced by dessert. He has to get at least some of the roast beef.

"Everything alright, Danny?"

"Just got detention with Grover on Thursday, he'll probably make me scrub cauldrons for hours", he grumbles, stabbing at one of the eggs on his plate.

"So, where is your cousin? Chin, right?"

"Over there", she says with a grimace, pointing to the Slytherin table, "Do you see Malfoy? He sits to his right." She sighs in defeat, shooting a dark glare at Malfoy's smug face. "Did they really have to pick Slytherin? The Beauxbaton students are sitting with the Ravenclaws", she adds slightly resentful.

He's a little distracted, when he sees the pretty blond girl from Beauxbatons walk up to try a dish from the Hufflepuff table and he even manages to catch her name, 'Lori'.

But he reluctantly stops himself from ogling and returns to searching for Kono's cousin in the crowd.

Next to Malfoy, huh? Danny lets his eyes sweep over the table, catching on light blond hair and pale skin. Malfoy wears his typical conceited, self important expression, but it's not as obnoxious as usual, apparently he's making an effort. Why did their year have to be saddled with a Malfoy?

They're still one of the more prominent dark families, old money, even after their involvement with the Dark Lord, because apparently, when Harry Potter (the-Boy-who-lived, the Chosen One, the Defeater of the Dark Lord) decides to pardon someone, even the likes of Draco Malfoy, the ministry scrambles to obey.

And there must have been a reason for Potter to forgive and forget, - Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter's school feud has been legendary, noted on even in history books - a reason the Daily Prophet could only speculate on.

Some sources have even claimed that a friendship developed between them in recent years. That's utter bullshit however, if the elder Malfoy is anything like the one Danny has to put up with daily.

Danny's not prejudiced, but he's seen enough of him to know that this Malfoy at least is still a supercilious prick.

"Hope he doesn't like the little git", he comments and Kono snorts in agreement.

Next to him sits an older, good-looking boy with asian features, probably 'Chin'. Kono's cousin doesn't seem to be particularly impressed by the young Malfoy-heir, although his manners are polite. Like all Durmstrang students, he wears a fur cape and a blood-red robe, although he appears to have ditched the matching fur hat. A walking stick completes the outfit.

Danny honestly wonders how they aren't sweating like pigs under all that fur.

Suddenly fingers claw into his arm and Danny yelps at Kono's manic expression of delight.

"Merlin's beard, that's Steven McGarrett!"

"Who?"

"The quidditch player!" Kono answers, looking at him in astonishment. "He's sitting on Chin's left!"

Danny shrugs, not bothering to look. "You know, I'm actually more into football. Give me the New York Jets any day."

"He's the youngest chaser to ever make it on a professional team!" she explains with faint disbelief, like his ignorance on the subject is physically painful to her.

The news spreads rapidly down the table, like wild fire, and soon there are people everywhere, straining their head to get a glimpse of the celebrity, Danny being the exception.

"Never heard of him and I'm really not that interested, sorry", he admits, enjoying the shocked expressions of his housemates. He'd never get why Quidditch is so damn popular. For one, there are far too many balls involved in the game to make any sense, and how could it be fair to let the catch of the snitch basically decide the whole game? Danny shakes his head, aware that he will probably never truly understand how wizards think, despite being one of them.

"Dude, really? ", exclaims Jerry, who has been sitting directly opposite them and obviously listening in. "Danny, I'm muggle-born, too, but this guy is superfamous! He's like in almost every sports section of the Daily Prophet!"

"Which would actually mean something, if the wizarding world had more than one sport, Jerry!"

"It's not like we need more than one! Quidditch is awesome!" Jerry exclaims, leaning forward to catch his gaze.

Oh, now it's on! Danny can be equally stubborn, he's not giving in. "No, it's not, it doesn't make any sen-"

"Okay guys, that's it, timeout, no more arguments about Quidditch!" Kono demands and they settle down in awkward silence.

Jerry decides to bridge the silence first and says awkwardly, "I didn't know you have a cousin in Durmstrang, Kono." Seeing her smile, he ducks his head a little to hide his blush." That's pretty cool. "

"Thanks! I haven't seen Chin in a while, but we write letters. After the war, there's been some trouble between his father and my branch of the family, different views on a lot of issues, so we don't get to meet often."

"Huh, so that's why you get owls so often!" Jerry surmises and Kono nods in confirmation.

Danny's never asked before, because every time the topic of her cousin came up in conversation, Kono would close off, but this time she's fairly glowing with no traces of sadness apparent, so what the heck, he would ask.

"So, I was wondering, what's Durmstrang like? "

"Chin doesn't talk much about school. They learn a lot more attack spells and charms though", she says quietly.

"I've heard it's like a military academy only they use wands instead of firearms", the muggle-born Jenna Kaye whispers to him. "They do drills and everything."

"That's stupid!" Josh, the guy next to her, scowls at them and says, "There's no war! And who would be idiotic enough to plan a coup withHarry Potter as Head of the Auror division!"

Danny can't stop himself from butting in at that, "There's always a war somewhere and we shouldn't expect Mr Potter to save us all the time."

"So being prepared for eventual conflict can be a good thing!" Kono says forcefully, closing the argument down before it really begins.

Then dessert appears and the mouthwatering sight of the various delicacies serves as a good deterrent to any possible arguments.

Good thing, too, because he can't wait to taste those jam doughnuts.

###

Later that day, Kono finally gets to see her cousin and Danny watches her light up in unabashed joy, before throwing herself into his arms with an enthusiastic 'Cuz!'and hugging tightly. Danny grins at the spectacle, then notices Chin's friend fidget awkwardly, as the cousins, or rather Kono, exchange news about their family.

He takes pity upon the guy, it must suck not to know anyone here, and tries for a pleasant smile, as he sticks his hand out. "Hey there, I'm Danny Williams. Uh, welcome to Hogwarts?"

The guy smiles, shaking his hand and damn he's really tall.

"Thanks, I guess."

"So, who are you?" Since tall guy apparently doesn't know the basics of introducing oneself.

For a second he looks shocked, then his eyes narrow and he's eyeballing Danny, like he's some kind of weird creature or space alien.

Danny scowls at him in response, what the hell is his problem, he was just being nice!

Abruptly the boy's expression lightens and he looks like he has figured something out.

"Steven Jack Aloysius McGarrett", he says expectantly.

"Huh...", Danny thinks the name sounds somewhat familiar, maybe Kono has mentioned it before? "Weird name."

And now there really is shock on McGarrett's face and okay, Danny has been seriously rude to say that about his name.

"Uh, sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I know all the old pureblood families tend to have such names, but I'm muggle-born, so I'm still not quite used to it."

Squaring his shoulders he wonders, whether McGarrett is one of those superior assholes, who think they're so hot, because of their oh so pure blood. There's been less discrimination since the end of the war, but it's still there.

If so, Danny isn't taking that lying down.

Unexpectedly, McGarrett laughs and his eyes are warm, when he says, "Nice to meet you, Danny. And call me Steve, that shouldn't be too weird, right?"

Okay, so not an asshole.

Danny grins. "Alright Steve."

His smile is blinding.

###

An: Reviews would be lovely :)


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, so how was I supposed to know, huh? It's not like it's written on his forehead or something!"

Jerry buries his head in his arms, when he hears that, and Danny really hopes he isn't crying. Way to make him feel bad.

They're back in the common room and Kono is still not over the fact that Danny didn't recognise the impossibly famous Steven McGarrett, when he stood right in front of him.

"That's it! How can you not know?! I told you hours ago!" Kono almost shouts at him. And they're making a scene, lots of eyes are on the trio, and Danny fervently hopes the story won't circulate around school tomorrow.

"I didn't look, alright! I wasn't interested, so I forgot, okay? People forget things!" Danny says, raising his hands defensively.

"Did you at least get an autograph?" Jerry asks mournfully, his shaggy head barely lifting from the nest of his arms to look at him with wide, longing eyes.

Kono snorts. "That's Danny you're talking to. Of course he didn't!" With a dull thumb, Jerry's head is back where it was and only a long, shaggy mane remains in place of their friend.

"Why would I? It's not like I expected to meet anyone famous", Danny says bristling.

Sighing in resignation, Kono shakes her head with a murmured, "Only you, Danny." She turns to Jerry and pats him on the back, promising to get him an autograph the next time she sees McGarrett with Chin.

"Don't worry, it's bound to happen, they're friends! Maybe you can even ask him yourself. " And Jerry's mood lightens considerably at that possibility.

"Sorry I didn't think about an autograph for you, buddy", he later tells Jerry, when they're getting ready to head to bed.

"Not your fault", he mumbles sleepily. "Couldn't have known I wanted one so badly." And he's far more generous in his forgiveness than Danny initially expected.

"Yeah, but still..."

"It's alright, Danny. Go to sleep."

But he can't sleep, his thoughts straying back to his strange encounter with McGarrett earlier. The guy must have been really gobsmacked to run into the only person in the castle, probably, who had no idea who the heck he is. He'd overheard even Professor Grover gush over McGarrett's abilities, which is practically unheard of.

This is so embarrassing.

He tries not to think about Rachel hearing this. Fat chance of that. She's probably congratulating herself right now for leaving him for that Slytherin jerk, Edwards.

So yeah, Danny's made an ass out of himself, what else is new?

At least it's not likely that he has to see McGarrett again, if he manages to avoid Chin.

That shouldn't be too difficult, right?

Avoiding McGarrett is a brilliant plan that lasts exactly until the fourth day at breakfast. They're just stuffing themselves with eggs and bacon, which the house elves make perfectly, all crispy and delicious, when suddenly Chin and McGarrett rise from the Slytherin table and cross the hall in the direction of the Gryffindor table.

"Any space left?" asks Chin with a small smile and Kono immediately shoves herself into Jerry with a bright, "Sure, cuz!"

Laughing, Chin joins them, sitting down next to his cousin and waving McGarrett nearer.

"Uh, mind if I sit here?" McGarrett asks Danny with a smile, not at all put out about their previous exchange.

"Yeah! No problem!" Danny manages to get out, aware that at least all eyes from the Gryffindor table, if not the entire hall, are fixated on them.

"Great." And with that he's squeezing himself between Danny and Chin until he's somehow seated on the bench, pressed tight against Danny and his friend from either side with barely any room to move.

That can't be comfortable -

"Are you sure you want to sit here?"

"I'm fine." His brows furrow in a puzzled frown. "Why? Would you like me to leave?"

Danny practically feels the murderous energy focused on him, as his housemates give him the evil eye.

"No! Stay if you want, I don't- "care, "-mind."

That being said, he continues eating his breakfast, although it's pretty unsettling, because all the noise and laughter usually surrounding the Gryffindor table is muffled today and only Kono seems to be able to freely enjoy herself. He watches how several girls in his year have stopped eating in favour of giggling to each other and stealing glances at the guy next to him, he even gets envious glares directed to him. And Jerry might have stopped breathing.

This is so ridiculous! The guy's a human being, not an alien for christ's sake!

How Harry Potter, the-Boy-who-lived must have felt sitting at this same table, under a microscope of gazes.

Or the rest of the Golden Trio for that matter, Danny feels like a bug next to McGarrett.

"So", he starts, to distract himself from the relentless onlookers, "you should really try the bacon, it's pretty good."

McGarrett raises an eyebrow and looks amused, but puts some on his plate.

Time to get this over with.

"Look, McGarrett, sorry I didn't recognise you yesterday. I'm not really into Quidditch, which is probably strange to say to a professional player, I know." Danny sheepishly rubs at his neck and wishes the whole conversation would be over already.

"No, don't apologise", he protests, "You took me by surprise, it was nice. Refreshing."

"Okay...", Danny says with a dubious glance at the other boy.

"And please call me Steve." He smiles at him. "What year are you in, Danny?"

"Seventh. You?"

"I'm in the last year at Durmstrang", McGarrett replies, which was a great answer, because it actually tells Danny nothing at all. It's so frustrating sitting here, squirming under all those burning eyes, while McGarrett looks totally unaffected. Like it isn't a big deal that almost any girl in the hall, and he suspects a fair amount of boys as well, would throw themselves at him at the smallest sign of interest. Maybe even Rachel would-

No, no use to torture himself with that idea.

Well, he might as well satisfy his curiosity, now that a Durmstrang student is actually in reach to answer his questions.

"Ah, okay. You arrived with these fur capes and hats yesterday, so you're staying somewhere cold, right? I was wondering, in which country is Durmstrang exactly? Nobody seems to know."

The students around them (all eavesdropping of course) gape at him, at his sheer audacity to outright ask about a secret hidden and protected for centuries.

McGarrett raises his eyebrow and says with baffled amusement, "You know I'm not allowed to tell you that, right?"

"Yeah, but can you like give me a clue? A hint? You could say 'warmer', when I'm getting closer to the truth?"

"'Warmer'?" he questions in confusion.

"Yeah, I'm guessing countries and you tell me if I'm on the right track."

"No!" is McGarrett's rather vehement response, but Danny ignores him in favour of starting his little game.

"Russia-"

"Finland-"

"Latvia-"

"Switzerland-"

His eyebrows climb higher and higher.

"Sweden-"

"Scandinavia-"

Ah! There- a twitch!

But before Danny can crow over his victory, there's a warm hand pressed over his mouth and McGarrett looks him straight in the eyes and says, "That's quite enough."

Danny swallows and nods, he notices how even Kono and Chin look at him with disapproval and sudden guilt wells up inside him. The guy has been nothing but nice to him and here he is, giving him such a hard time. Frankly, it was a dick move.

"Sorry", he mumbles and lowers his eyes to the floor. "That was rude." It was more than that. Now would be a great moment to disapparate.

"Yes, but it's alright. No harm done." And when Danny finally dares to dart a look up to the guy's face, he can see the faint outline of a smile, subdued, but there.

"Could I have an autograph, please?" he blurts out and once more McGarrett's eyebrows ascend his forehead.

"For you?" he enquires in a disbelieving tone.

Danny gives an apologetic shrug. "No, it's for a friend. I promised to ask you."

McGarrett pauses for a moment, then takes out his wand and casually conjures a piece of paper.

"For who is it?"

"Jerry, uh, Ortega", Danny says, shuffling his feed. At least after this he could be sure that the boy would avoid him in the future.

Breakfast is almost over and some students are already going on their way. Danny wants nothing more but to join them.

"Here", McGarrett passes the paper to Danny and at least Jerry would be happy.

"Thanks, and sorry for before", he forces out, although he'd much rather flee.

"You're very interesting, Danny", he says, before Danny can slip away.

"I think we're gonna get along great", he determines, shooting him a wide, toothy grin.

Somehow Danny seriously doubts that.


End file.
